Good Morning, I know a lot of you shoppers have done audits. I'd be grateful for any advice you'd like to share about audits of a well known electronic store.

Is it a short audit or a long one?

Things to take with you: Anvil, I mean, Advil, a huge "NO" poster to give to the manager who tries to bribe you by saying he already scanned it for you, a book on anger management, a pint of vodka, a hanky to wipe the sweat off of your brow and pits as you run around in circles, a muzzle so you don't swear at them because they don't have a scanner for you to use, speed dial so you can re-dial your area manager who won't answer the phone even though she said she would be at your disposal, a vest that says "I don't work here, don't ask me where anything is", an eraser so you can wipe the smirk off of the faces of the 20 somethings that work there, and don't work there, that think they know WAY more about EVERYTHING than you do,

Also, get your ad items from the internet the night before.

Dang spicy, that was pretty funny.

I agree! Great sense of humor. BTW, the audit is all day, is that considered a short one? Same subject: "leave purse and phone in your car", the guideline states. Good grief, I need my Kleenex, meds and car keys. Fanny pack, anyone? Oh, and casual business attire. I'm very okay with that, but collared shirt tucked in? If I was 20 and a size 4, sigh...

Yes, oh, no, no one touches my phone! It and I are one. eta, until the Note 8 arrives!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/2017 05:53AM by spicy1.

If this is what I think it is they have some all day audits and some shorter ones that just cover audio equipment.

How do you take pictures without your phone? You may find the purse gets in your way. I tend to stick with things that can fit in my pocket for any shops or audits.

Usually the shirt tucked in doesn't apply to women for whatever reason. As long as it is something like a polo with a finished hem nobody will notice or say a word.

Crossbody purses work okay, but most of the time I just have car keys in my front pocket and a credit card and my phone in each of my back pockets. And a little cash in one of the front pockets if needed.

@Dolly Traicoff wrote:

... "leave purse and phone in your car", the guideline states. Good grief, I need my Kleenex, meds and car keys. Fanny pack, anyone?

Personally, I still carried a bag when I did these, and here's why: I needed somewhere to keep the clipboard and paper that the manager needs to sign, the store ad for ad check, the Telxon gun and my phone and tablet. (The tablet is what I used to conduct the audit, the phone allowed me to access guidelines without having to close the auditing app.) Otherwise, I would set down my phone to use the scanner gun or to do planogram checks and forget to pick it back up as I moved through the store. I needed something to carry things in or the audit would have been even more time consuming.

The store doesn't want you walking off with anything. That is understandable. When I left for lunch or at the end of the day, I opened my bag for the security person at the door. No problem. I had already talked to him two or three times at that point, either to ask for the manager, check the logs, etc.

Thanks for asking, and I appreciate what those with experience are sharing.

I've been searching the forums trying to find current feedback on this topic of Best Buy audits. While I love MS and have gotten very good feedback on all the reports I've submitted (despite some frustration with editors that give a 9 rather than 10 but fail to provide any explanation or example), not sure whether these all day audits of this big blue box make sense or not.

After reading the 28 pages of requirements before even attempting to qualify, it creates some concern about the time one is required to invest for $85-$95 a day. I'm not sure how this work assignment passes the IC test either, as so many details from hours to the exact garments and earrings you are allowed to wear are dictated. And I agree that if a person has to carry so many items around, not allowing a cross-body bag or some other assistive tool seems to increase difficulty.

Regardless, because I've enjoyed other work in the industry so much, I wondered if this initial off-putting impression was wrong. I am still investigating and looking for examples and feedback from those with recent experience.

Specifically:
How much time is spent in doing prep and pre-work for these audits?
How many total hours do you spend on each audit, including pre-work and off site wrap up/reporting?
Once on site, can the audit (with all the rules not to do tasks before or after certain times, and other tasks only to be completed within a specific time window) be done as instructed, correctly within the day and without requiring follow up visits?
Are the rules regarding clothing and carrying of tools to assist your work (as well as necessary personal items) strictly observed as stated in the lengthy reading I've already done?

All other feedback is warmly welcomed too. I have been firstly focused on trying to see whether it makes sense to travel a minimum of 40 miles each way for the pay if the total time commitment for these audits is in fact well over 8 hours each time, but interested in other qualitative points as well.

You can eventually get them to 6 or so hours. I carry whatever bag I want, and no one touches my phone use, they can check me at the door. These have all the makings of a lawsuit as an employee for all the reasons you mentioned and more. If you miss anything, you WILL be going back or you will not be paid. Prep time is reading, and understanding, the guidelines. There is no off-site, after, reporting. My first few took way more than a day with an uncooperative staff. Let's say you get it done in 8 hours, that is $10.62 an hour and 6 hours us $14 an hour. You dont get paid to read and understand the guidelines or updates or phone conferences. I hate them.

How much prep work (how much time to read the guidelines and prepare) would vary by person, but there is going to be a learning curve, making the first one or two more arduous. However, once you get the hang of it, it usually takes six hours, barring any major difficulties. For instance, when I first started, they would sometimes give the wrong login for the Telxon gun in the guidelines and you would not be able to log in and would have to find an employee who was willing to log you in. However, the method of scanning has changed since then, and I think auditors now have their own log in. The reason I do not do them anymore is that after you get them down to six hours, the company adds another two or three more sections for you to check, or extra work to do. It appears they think auditors get done in about four hours and spend the rest of the time goofing off, who knows. Perhaps the client is paying very well and feels justified in requesting more and more items checked during the audit. But, the fee that the auditor receives doesn't go up, unless the location is remote and/or the MSC is desperate to get it scheduled.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/2017 10:35PM by christinereed.